


Errant Arrow

by evilwriter37



Category: DreamWorks Dragons (Cartoon), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Blood, Gen, Ruffnut!whump, Whump, Wounded, arrow wound
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:29:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21909742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilwriter37/pseuds/evilwriter37
Summary: While out on patrol, Ruffnut is grazed by an arrow and Hiccup is afraid she's going to die.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	Errant Arrow

There was so much blood. So, so much. Ruffnut’s head was in Hiccup’s lap, scarlet spilling from her throat. They’d been on patrol together when they’d spotted a Hunter ship. It had managed to get too close to them, and an arrow had hit Ruffnut, grazing through the flesh of her neck. Gods, was she going to die? Right here in Hiccup’s lap?

They’d landed as quickly as possible, a small island not too far away. The Hunters were probably coming for them now, but Ruffnut was more important. Tuffnut was on his knees by her, looking ready to cry, to scream. This was his  _ sister  _ that was hurt, his  _ twin _ . 

“Hiccup, Hiccup, we gotta do something!” Tuffnut cried frantically.

“Uh, bandage!” Hiccup yelled out. He held Ruffnut’s head very carefully. She was getting blood all over his clothing and the grass. 

“Hiccup?” That was Ruffnut, her voice weak. Tuffnut was scrambling for something to use as a bandage in a saddlebag.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here,” Hiccup said softly. He stroked her hair. “I’m here. What is it?”

“Am I gonna die?”

“No, no! Of course not!” Hiccup laughed nervously for her, tried to smile. “You’re going to be just fine.”

“Hurts,” she said weakly.

“I know it does. I know.”

Tuffnut came back with bandages, and together he and Hiccup carefully lifted Ruffnut’s head. She let out a cry at the movement, squeezed her eyes shut. 

“Tuffnut, work fast!” Hiccup commanded as he held Ruffnut’s head. Tuffnut was wrapping the bandage around her neck, fingers shaking. Of course they were shaking. Hiccup’s weren’t, but he was sure they would be once this was all over. 

Blood turned the white of the bandages red. She needed to stop bleeding!

“We have to get her out of here,” Hiccup said. He looked around, alert for Hunters. He heard sounds in the distance of people smashing through brush. Did they know where they were and were coming for them?

“What do we do?” Tuffnut asked.

“Help me lift Ruffnut onto Toothless,” Hiccup said. “Barf and Belch can fly with one rider, right?”

Tuffnut frantically nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I can make it work.” He got his arms under Ruffnut’s legs, and Hiccup got his under her arms. Together, they lifted her onto Toothless’ back, where she lay, groaning. 

“Okay, move, move!” Hiccup shouted. He’d spotted a Hunter through the trees. They’d been seen. A crossbow bolt whistled by as he mounted Toothless, grazing his ear, dashing blood into the air. Hiccup cried out, grabbed the handholds, and yelled for Toothless to take off.

Crossbow bolts followed he and Tuffnut into the air. Ruffnut almost slipped from Toothless, and Hiccup had to hold onto her with both hands and hold onto Toothless with his legs. Luckily, he was able to get a strong grip with his thighs.

“Are they following us?” Tuffnut asked.

“Tuff, they don’t have dragons,” Hiccup reminded the nervous Rider. “They can’t follow us.”

“Right, right.” Tuffnut looked back towards the ground. He seemed like he would have breathed a sigh of relief, but then his gaze fell on Ruffnut. He bit his lower lip, and Hiccup saw him mentally praying to the gods.

“We got away?” Ruffnut asked, voice hoarse.

“Yeah. Yeah, we got away.” Hiccup forced a smile down at her. “We’re going to be okay.”

  
  


They flew back to the Edge. There was no way Ruffnut would survive a flight all the way to Berk. She’d be more stable in her own bed, waiting for someone to return with Gothi. Hiccup made the trip, as Toothless was the fastest dragon. Hiccup spent it with his hands sweating and shaking, and he realized he hadn’t taken the time to change or wash any of the blood off of himself. He was going to make quite the sight upon his return.

Stoick came as well after Hiccup had described the injury. Hiccup knew why, and it made him grim, made the anxiety jump in his stomach. He thought Ruffnut was going to die and he would need to conduct a funeral. 

Hiccup tried not to think about that on the flight back, but all he could see when he closed his eyes was a burning boat drifting away into the night. Ruffnut’s boat. 

_ No, no, no! She can’t die! She can’t! _

And still, Hiccup saw her dying. He didn’t see a way around this, didn’t see a way out. Ruffnut was going to die. 

He wanted to blame himself for that. He’d been the one to take her on patrol with him. He could have just gone on his own, but he’d wanted the company of the twins. Now, because of it, one of them was mortally wounded and might not see the sun rise. 

  
  


Gothi worked on Ruffnut with everyone out of the room. Hiccup sat with everyone in a horrible silence, his legs bouncing up and down, his fingers jittering. He kept feeling that she was going to come out and pronounce her dead and gone from this world. 

Hiccup wouldn’t be able to live with that. He looked to Tuffnut, saw tears dripping from his face.  _ Tuffnut  _ wouldn’t be able to live with that. This was the person he was closest to in his life. They  _ couldn’t  _ lose her.

  
  


They didn’t. Gothi came out and told them the prognosis. Ruffnut would live, though she would have a long recovery and her voice would no longer be the same: more scratchy and hoarse. She’d probably lose it on most days. 

But that was better than no Ruffnut. Anything was better than no Ruffnut. 


End file.
